Japan’s Diplomatic Green Paper Makes Stronger Claim on Dokdo

The Japanese government has heightened the level of its claim over the sovereignty over the Dokdo islets by adding the Shimane Prefecture Assembly’s passage of the “Takeshima Day” ordinance to its “2005 Green Paper,” a diplomatic brochure published to inform its people of the government’s diplomatic policies.

The Green Paper adopts the phrase that historically and legally Dokdo belongs to Japan, according to the Asahi Daily on April 8. The newspaper said that the phrase is used repetitively in the paper, and that details on the Shimane prefecture’s ordinance and President Roh Moo-hyun’s harsh comments are also included.

The Green Paper is scheduled to be made official in a cabinet meeting on April 15.

The Shimane Prefecture ordinance and President Roh’s message were added after the members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) pointed them out, according to the Asahi Daily.

Hun-Joo Cho hanscho@donga.com